Machine for treating feathers.



PATENTED DEC. 20, 1904.

F. A. HUEHN.

' MACHINE FOR TREATING PBATHERS.

APPLIUATION FILED JULY 25, 1904.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1 NO MODEL.

m W M PATENTED DEC. 20, 1904.

P. A. HUEHN.

MACHINE FOR TREATING PEATHBRS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 25, 1904.-

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

N0 MODEL.

Iw Ven/fm? 629% UNITED STATES Patented December 20, 1904:.

FREDERICK A. HUEHN,

OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

MACHINE FOR TREATING FEATHERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. '7 '7 7,7 29, datedDecember 20, 1904.

Application filed July 25,

To all whom, it WHY/y concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK A. HUEHN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful'Improvements in Machines for TreatingFeathers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in a machine to be employed fortreating or dressing feathers used in the manufacture offeather-clusters; and it consists in certain peculiarities of theconstruction, novel arrange ment, and operation of the various partsthereof, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth and specificallyclaimed.

As is well known to those skilled inthe manufacture of feather-clustersfrom the feathers of turkeys or other domestic fowls, it is customary tosplit or cut away the lower surface of the quills or stems of thefeathers, as well as to remove the pith therefrom and to crimp or creasethe stems in order to increase their flexibility and make them moredurable.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a machine fortreating or dressing feathers whereby the processes of cutting away,crimping, or creasing and grinding or removing the pith from the stemsmay be accomplished in a speedy, economical, and efficient manner and bythe same machine.

Another object of the invention is to so construct it that certain partsthereof may be adjusted to accommodate the requirements in the operationof the machine and to render the machine more durable and effective.

A further object is to provide amachine of the above-named characterwhich shall be compact in form, simple and inexpensive in constructionand operation, and strong and durable.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be disclosed in thesubjoi-ned description and explanation.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which my inventionpertains to make and use the same, I will now proceed to describe it,referring to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan Viewof the machine, showing the parts in their relative positions 1904.Serial No. 217,974.

l ready for operation. Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal sectional viewthereof. Fig. 3 is a front end view showing portions of the feedrollersand their shafts broken away to illustrate other parts of the machine.Fig. 4 is a detached perspective View of the guide-plate for thefeathers. Fig. 5 is a View in elevation of one side of the machine,showing the pulleys and gears for operating the feeding, crimping, andone of the grinding-rollers. Fig. 6 is a similar view of the oppositeside of the machine. Fig. 7 is a fragmental perspective view of theadjustable block which carries a part of the feather holding and guidingmechanism. Fig. 8 is a detached perspective view of the feather holdingand guiding bar, and Fig. 9 is asimilar view of the depression-tongue'Like numerals of reference refer to corresponding parts throughout thedifferent views of the drawings.

The reference-numeral 10 indicates the main or supporting frame, whichis provided with two upright portions 11 and 12, located parallel withone another to form the sides of the frame. Transversely journaled onthe front upper portion of the sides 11 and 12 and parallel with oneanother are shafts 13 and 14, on which are mounted the feed-rollers 15and 16, respectively. The roller 15 is preferably formed of rubber orother resilient material, and the roller 16 has its periphery milled orknurled, so as to better engage the stems of the feathers which passbetween said rollers. Transver'sely secured to the front portion of theframe is a guide-bar 17 which has in its upper edge at about its middlea recess 18 to receive and guide the stems of the feathers. Mounted onone end of the shaft l is a gear 19, which meshes with a gear 20,mounted on the hub 21 of a pulley 22, which is loosely mounted on ashaft 23, horizontally journaled near the main frame, as is clearlyshown in Figs. 1 and 3 of the drawings. Extending from one side of themain frame to the other, below and somewhat to the rear of thefeeding-rollers 15 and 16, is a transverse piece 2&, which has in itsfront portion at about its middle a vertical recess 25 for the receptionand operation of a bolt 26, which is pivotally secured at its upper end,to the front portion of a yielding table 27, which is pivotally securednear its rear end to an upright rod 28, which is adjustably secured, bymeans of nuts 29, on a cross-bar 30, located at the rear of the piece 24and secured to the sides of the frame.

As shown, the upper portion of the bolt or rod 26 is enlarged and hasencircling it between its enlarged portion and the bottom of the recess25 a spiral spring 31, used to actuate said rod and the table 27. Thelower portion of the rod 26 is screw-threaded and has fitted thereonnuts 32, used for adjusting the position of the table 27, as well as themovement of said rod. As is shown in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings, thetable 27 is located with its front end near the meeting surfaces of therollers 15 and 16 and at about the middle thereof and extends rearwardlyand horizontally therefrom. Secured longitudinally on the upper surfaceof the table 27 is a guide-plate 33 for the feathers, which has each ofits ends cut away, as at 34, for the purpose presently to be explained.Located on the upper surface of the transverse piece 24 is an adjustableblock 35, which is formed at its middle with a vertical recess 36 topermit of the movement of the front portion of the table 27, and'thefront middle portion of the block 35 is also formed with a recess 37 topermit of the movement of the rod 26 and the spring 31, which surroundsit.

As shown in Fig. 7 of the drawings, the middle or reduced portion 38 ofthe block 35 is provided with vertical slots 39, through which arepassed bolts 40, which engage suitable openings in the upper part of thetransverse piece 24, and thus adjustably secure the block 35 inposition. Located on the upper surface of the upward extensions of theblock 35 is a guide-bar 41 for the feathers, which bar is provided withelongated openings 42 for the reception of bolts 43, which adjustablysecure it to the top of the extensions of the block 35, as is clearlyshown in Figs. 1 and 3 of the drawings. The upper rear portion of thebar 41 is cut away, as at 44, to permit of the operation of the rotarycutter. The lower middle portion of the bar 41 is provided with atransverse groove 45, in which is fitted a tongue 46, having on itslower surface a groove 48, which has its rear end beveled and providedwith a curved recess 47, as is clearly shown in Figs. 8 and 9 of thedrawings. The front portion of the tongue 46 is provided with a concavcdrecess 48, which, with the recess 34 in the front end of the plate 33,receives and guides the quill or front ends of the stems of thefeathers.

Transversely and horizontally journaled on the main frame a little aboveand somewhat to the rear of the bar 41 is a shaft 49, on which ismounted a cutter-head 50, which is rectangular in cross-section and hasadjustably secured on each of its sides, by means of screw-bolts 5-1, ablade or knife 52, which coacts with the beveled front portion of thetongue 46, so as to cut away or split the stems of the feathers as theypass between said tongue and the guide plate 33. Each of the knives 52is provided with a slot 53 to receive the bolts 51, which engagesuitable openings in the cutter-head.

Mounted on one end of the shaft 49 is a pulley 54, to which power may beapplied by means of a belt for driving the same. Transversely andhorizontally journaled one above the other at the rear of the table 27are shafts 55 and 56, on each of which is mounted a corrugated roller57, which intermesh, as shown in Fig. 2, and are employed for thepurpose of creasing or crimping the stems of the feathers, therebyrendering them more flexible and durable. Horizontally and transverselyjournaled one above the other on the rear portion of the main frame areshafts 58 and 59, on which are mounted milled or knurled rollers 60 and61, respectively, which are employed for grinding or removing the pithfrom the stems of the feathers. Both of the feed-rollers, as well aseach of the crimpingrollers 57 and grinding-rollers 60 and 61, areadjustable longitudinally on their respective shafts, but arenon-rotatably secured thereto, which adjustability may be effected bymeans of set-screws 62, located in reduced portions 63 on each of saidrollers, which screws will engage the shafts and fix the rollers thereonat the desired points.

Mounted on one end of the shaft 58, which carries thegrinding-roller 60,which roller is preferably larger than the grinding-roller 61, is apulley 64, to which power may be applied for driving the roller 60independently of the roller 61. Mounted on the end of the shaft 56adjacent to the pulley 22 is a gear 65, which meshes with the gear 20 onthe main or driving shaft. On the opposite end of the shaft 56 ismounted a gear 66, which meshes with an idle gear 67, journaled on theside 11 of the main frame, which idle-gear also meshes with a gear 68 onthe shaft 59, which carries the roller 61 or lower grinding-roller. Thegear 66 also meshes with a gear 69 on the shaft 55, which carries theupper crimpingroller. That end of the shaft 13 adjacent to the pulley 54has mounted thereon a gear 7 O, which meshes with a gear 71 on thecorresponding end of the shaft 14 or lower feedroller shaft.

From the foregoing and by reference to the drawings it will be seen andreadily understood that by locating the stems of the feathers in thenotch or recess 18 of the transverse bar, and presenting their quills tothe feedrollers 15 and 16 so that the lower portion of the stem will beuppermost the feathers will be fed between said feed-rollers, andthereby forced into the opening formed by the concaved recesses 34 and48 .in the guide-bar 33' and tongue 46 and between said bar and tongue.As the stems of the feathers protrude under the rear end of the tongue46 they will be cut away by means of the blades 52 on the rotarycutter-head 50, from which point they will pass between thecrimpingrollers 57 and be transversely crimped or creased, after whichthey will pass between the rollers 60 and 61, which will grind or removethe pith from the stems, thus rendering the feathers in the propercondition for use in the manufacture of dusters. It is apparent that byapplying power to the pulley 22 the feed-rollers 15 and 16 and thecrimping or creasing rollers 57, as well as the lower grinding-roller61, will be rotated, and by applying power to the pulley 54 thecutter-head 50, carrying the knives 52, may be rotated in the properdirection and at any suitable speed. The upper grinding-roller 60 may beoperated independently of the roller 61 by applying power to the pulley64, supplied from any suitable source. hen it is desired to adjust theblock 35 and the bar 41 so as to meet the requirements of tail-feathersor wing-feathers or the feathers of different sizes, it is apparent thatthe bolts 40 may be loosened, when the block 35 may be moved forwardlyor rearwardly, as the case may require, or the bolts 43, which securethe bar 41 in place, may be loosened and said bar properly adjusted;

It is apparent that the position of the table 27 may be regulated byscrewing the nuts 32 up or down on the rod 26, which permits the tableto swing on its pivot on the upper end of the rod 28, which may also beadjusted by turning the nuts 29 in the proper direction. As the variousrollers are adjustable longitudinally on their shafts, it is evidentthat their positions may be shifted, so that if they become worn at asingle point by constant use a new and unworn portion may be presentedto act on the stems of the feathers, thus obviating the necessity ofsubstituting new rollers or remilling the old ones.

If it is desired to adjust the bar 41 vertically, this may be done byloosening the bolts 40 and placing thin pieces or washers between thelower surface of the block 35 and the upper surface of the transverseportion of the main frame.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a machine for treating feathers, the combination with the mainframe, of a rotary cutter journaled thereon; a table pivotally securednear one of its ends and located below said cutter, a spring locatedunder the front portion of the table to press said part upwardly, meansto feed the feathers to the table and cutter, and means adjustablysecured for holding and guiding the feathers on the table and to thecutter, substantially as described.

2. In a machine for treating feathers, the combination with the mainframe, of a pair of feed-rollers horizontally journaled thereon oneabove the other, a table pivotally secured near its rear end and havingits front end projecting near the meeting surfaces of said rollers, aspring located under the front portion of the table to press saidportion upwardly, a rotary cutter journaled on the -main frame above thetable, and means ad justably secured for holding and guiding thefeathers on the table and to the cutter, substantially as described.

3. In a machine for treating feathers, the combination with the mainframe, of a pair of feed-rollershorizontally journaled thereon one abovethe other, a table pivotally secured near its rear end and having itsfront end projecting near the meeting surfaces of said rollers, a springto actuate the front part of the table, a rotary cutter journaled on themain frame above the table, means adjustably secured for holding andguiding the feathers on the table and to the'cutter, and a pair ofcrimping-rollers horizontally journaled one above the other at the rearof the table, substantially as described.

4. In a machine for treating feathers, the combination with the mainframe, of a pair of feed-rollers horizontally journaled thereon oneabove the other, a table pivotally secured near its rear end and havingits front end projecting near the meeting surfaces of said rollers, aspring to actuate the front portion of the table, a rotary cutterjournaled on the main frame above the table, means adjustably securedfor holding and guiding the feathers on the table and to the cutter, apair of crimping-rollers horizontally journaled at the rear of the tableone above the other, and a pair of grinding-rollers horizontallyjournaled one above the other at the rear of the crimpingrollers,substantially as described.

5. In a machine for treating feathers, the combination with the mainframe having a transverse portion, of a block adjustably secured onthe-upper surface of said transverse portion and having its middle partrecessed, a guide-bar adjustably secured on the upper surface of theextensions of said block and having in its upper surface a recess, atongue transversely secured on the lower surface of the guide-bar andhaving at its front end a concaved recess and at its rear end a curvedrecess, said recesses united by a groove, a table pivotally supportednear its rear end and having on its upper surface a grooved guideplateand projecting forwardly under the guide-bar and in the recess of saidblock, a spring to actuate the front portion of the table, a rotarycutter journaled above the table, and a pair of feed-rollershorizontally journaled one above the other in front of the table,substantially as described.

6. In a machine for treating feathers, the combination with the mainframe having a transverse portion, of a block adjustably secured on theupper surface of said transverse portion and having its middle partrecessed, a guide-bar adjustably secured on the upper surface of theextensions of said block and having in its upper surface a recess, atongue transversely-secured on the lower surface of the guide-bar andhaving at its front end a concaved recess and at its rear end a curvedrecess, said recesses united by a groove, a table pivotally supportednear its rear end and projecting forwardly under the guide-bar and inthe recess of said block, a guide-plate secured on the upper surface ofthe table and having a groove in each of its ends, a rod pivotallysecured at its upper end to the front portion of the table andadjustably secured at its lower end on the transverse portion of themain frame, a spring encircling said rod to actuate the front part ofthe table, a rotary cutter journaled above the table, and a pair offeed-rollers horizontally journaled one' above the other in front of thetable, substantially as described.

7. In a machine for treating feathers, the combination with the mainframe having a transverse portion, of a block adjustably secured on theupper surface of said transverse portion and having its middle partrecessed, a guide-bar adjustably secured on the upper surface of theextensions of said block and having in its upper surface a recess, atongue transversely secured on the lower surface of the guide-bar andhaving at its front end a concaved recess and at its rear end a curvedrecess, said recesses united by a groove, a table pivotally supportednear its rear end and having on its upper surface a grooved guideplateand projecting forwardly under the guide-bar and in the recess of saidblock, a

rod pivotally secured at its upper end to the front portion of the tableand adjustably supported at its lower end on the transverse portion ofthe main frame, a spring encircling said rod to actuate the frontportion of the table, a pair of feed-rollers horizontally journaled oneabove the other in front of the table, and a pair of crimping-rollershorizontally journaled one above the other at the rear of the table,substantially as described.

8. In a machine for treating feathers, the combination with the mainframe having a transverse portion, of a block adjustably secured on theupper surface of said transverse portion and having its middle partrecessed, a guide-bar adjustably secured on the upper surface of theextensions of said block and having in its upper surface a recess, atongue transversely secured on the lower surface of the guide-bar andhaving at its front end a concaved recess and at its rear end a curvedrecess, said recesses united by a groove, a table pivotally supportednear its rear end and having on its upper surface a grooved guideplateand projecting forwardly under the guide-bar and in the recess of saidblock, a rod pivotally secured at its upper end to the front portion ofthe table and adjustably supported at its lower end to the transverseportion of the main frame, a spring encircling said rod to actuate thefront portion of the table, a pair of feed-rollers horizontallyjournaled one above the other'in front of the table, a pair ofcrimping-rollers horizontally journaled one above the other at the rearof the table, and a pair of grinding-rollers horizontally journaled oneabove the other at the rear of the crimping-rollers, substantially asdescribed.

FREDERICK A. HUEHN.

Vitnesses:

CI-IAs. C. TILL'MAN, A. GUsTAFsoN

